Thank you for your interest in Creative Skillset course accreditation. We currently offer course

accreditation in a wide range of areas across the Creative Industries including:

 

Advertising Animation

 

Art and Design CGI/Computer graphics   Computer Games Film   Interactive Media Media Business/Entrepreneurial   Media Technology Photo Imaging   Post Production Publishing   Radio Screenwriting  TV/Video/Broadcast These guidelines are specifically for Undergraduate Computer Games Art or Technical courses. If you are interested in accreditation for post graduate Games courses, Games Design courses or courses in other areas, please refer to the Creative Skillset website for alternative guidance or contact the Development Team at Creative Skillset.

These guidelines should tell you everything you need to know about the accreditation process including eligible courses, how to apply, how your application is assessed and the value of accreditation.

Please use the Guidelines in conjunction with the Undergraduate Computer Games Application Forms in either Art or Technical areas.

Getting advice:

For information and advice on accreditation, please contact:

Development Team at Creative Skillset T: 020 7713 9800 | E: developmenttick@creativeskillset.org This form and the guidelines are also available in large print, Braille, PC formatted discs and audio tape formats.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

Creative Skillset

Aim and purpose of accreditation

Courses eligible for accreditation

The value of accreditation

ACCREDITATION PROCESS

When can institutions apply for course accreditation?

Before Submission

Submitting the Application

Stage One Assessment: Desk Based Criteria Check

Stage Two Assessment: The Panel visit

Accreditation Decision

What happens if a course is turned down for accreditation?

Summary of people involved in the process

How long does accreditation last for?

Accreditation charge

Supporting Materials – More about the information we need

ACCREDITATION CRITERIA

Structure of the criteria

TECHNICAL PATH: PROGRAMMING FOR COMPUTER GAMES

PROGRAMMING AND MATHEMATICS FOR COMPUTER GAMES

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

PROGRAMMING LOW LEVEL ARCHITECTURE

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

HIGH LEVEL GAMES PROGRAMMING

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

GAME CREATION PROCESSES

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENT

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

ART PATH: DIGITAL ART COURSES

OBSERVATIONAL DRAWING

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4.TEACHING

VISUAL INVENTION AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

2D DIGITAL ART

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

CGI: 3D MODELLING

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

CGI TEXTURING

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

CGI RENDERING AND LIGHTING

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

3. RESOURCES

4. TEACHING

NEXT STEPS

BACKGROUND

Creative Skillset Creative Skillset is the licensed Sector Skills Council for entertainment media, fashion and textiles, publishing and advertising, marketing and communications.

We are an industry body which supports skills and training for people and businesses to ensure the UK Creative Industries maintain their world class position. In the context of accreditation, Creative Skillset informs and influences training provision for the competitive benefit of the Creative Industries.

Backed by an industrial partnership of key employers, trade associations and unions, Creative Skillset conducts consultation work with industry, publishes research and strategic documents, runs funding schemes and project work, and provides information about the challenges that face the industries and what we need to do to overcome them. We also provide impartial Creative Industries careers resources. Whether you are a freelancer looking for training information, a student furthering your knowledge of the industries or a public agency partner, we aim to provide you with easy access to the information you require.

Aim and purpose of accreditation Creative Skillset accreditation approves and endorses courses within higher education that represent best practice in the provision of graduates with appropriate skills, knowledge and abilities to work in the industry they are studying. The aim of Creative Skillset accreditation is

to:

 Signpost prospective students to the courses that will provide them with industryrelevant skills and good links with companies and potential employers.

 Assure employers that students graduating from accredited courses have the levels of knowledge and skills they are seeking from new employees and can perform to the standard they expect.

 Enable employers to prioritise recruitment activities on courses that have been identified as having an industry-facing ethos.

The purpose of accreditation is to facilitate strong and organised links between course providers, the industry and Creative Skillset to ensure that the industry gets graduates with the

talent it needs. The Creative Skillset accreditation process:

 Informs higher education institutions (HEIs) and other providers of the skills needs of industry by defining what employers expect new entrants to know, what skills they expect them to possess and the standards of performance that they expect them to be able to reach in new entrant roles.

 Enables students to develop the appropriate knowledge and skills that the industry requires, providing them with an understanding of the industry and its working practices, thus improving their employability and contribution to industry.

The Creative Skillset accreditation approach is to set down benchmarks to ensure that courses provide the best opportunity for the professional development of students in their chosen career.

Courses eligible for accreditation Creative Skillset accreditation covers the majority of subject areas across the Creative Industries including Level 4 HND and foundation courses as well as undergraduate and postgraduate courses. These guidelines are for course interested in accreditation for their

undergraduate Computer Games courses in Art and Technical areas:

 Art path – Digital Art for Computer Games, with a focus on either of the following: art, graphics, animation  Technical Path: Programming for Computer Games, with a focus on either of the following: algorithm development, technology, computer games, tools programming If you are interested in accreditation for postgraduate Games courses, Games Design courses or courses in other areas then please visit the Creative Skillset website for alternative guidelines and application forms.

In order to be eligible for accreditation:

 Your course must have produced at least one cohort of graduates;

 Your course must be industry practice centred, with strong input and relevance to the Computer Games industry;

 You must have detailed employment information on where the majority of your graduates are employed, in what roles and in which companies;

 A good proportion of your graduates should be employed with the Games industry;

 Your course must meet the majority of the accreditation criteria outlined in these guidelines.

The value of accreditation The Creative Skillset Tick is the quality kitemark for excellence in training courses and education in the Creative Industries. The Creative Skillset Tick helps identify the UK’s most industry-focussed courses and apprenticeships enabling universities, colleges and employers to recruit the brightest talent.

It is an invaluable signpost for potential students, apprentices and employers to indicate those programmes that provide the most up-to-date and relevant industry training and education. If they see the Tick they know it’s industry approved. The Tick raises the profile of the accredited training in an increasingly competitive HE, FE and employment market.

In applying for the Creative Skillset Tick you are aspiring to show your course is benchmarked to contemporary industry standards of excellence. In achieving the Creative Skillset Tick your course joins the ranks of the top creative training and education this country has to offer, giving your learners the best possible chance of a successful career in their chosen industry.

Creative Skillset is recognised in the Unistats Key Information Sets as a professional, statutory and regulatory body, which demonstrates the value of our accreditation to potential students comparing courses online.

Quality, industry-relevant education and training is at the heart of Creative Skillset’s work and as such we actively promote the Tick to potential students (and their advisers) and industry employers in Pick the Tick® campaigns throughout the year. Tick courses enjoy the exposure of these national campaigns, which complement course providers’ own marketing, and course leaders/promoters can actively participate via a number of Creative Skillset channels. Tick courses are priority listed on our national course database at www.creativeskillset.org/courses.

Through the accreditation process courses receive invaluable industry input, advice and evaluation of their curriculum. The industry designed process is consultative, supportive and confidential. Those who do not achieve the standard first time are encouraged into further dialogue leading to resubmission. We are strong advocates for all accredited courses, helping promote the benefits of multi-disciplinary working, the project-led curriculum, innovative teaching styles, the strong endorsement by industry, and the professional background of the staff and the course’s resources.

As beacons of best practice, Tick courses are frequently highlighted in our research and consultation responses and communications with policymakers. The positive impact of the Tick is included in all our promotional activity and we celebrate the achievements of students and successes of alumni. The Creative Skillset Tick provides a focal point for bringing together industry and education to develop provision, showcase student talent and to share insights.

In 2012 our integrated campaigns focused on careers advisors and learners. Our social media activity increased traffic to the Pick the Tick Facebook pages and frequently profiled the Tick to our 25,000 Twitter followers. We exhibited and had speaking slots at over 30 key education, careers and industry events, ran print and online advertising including pay per click (PPC) adverts, direct mail and third party mailings. The Creative Skillset Tick was featured in print media and Tick students’ work was promoted at our Animation & VFX Showcase. The campaigns resulted in a 20% increase in traffic to the Tick web pages. In 2013 we will continue to build awareness amongst potential students and their advisors through print and online resources and social media campaigns. We will also draw on and build up our extensive employer network to run industry-facing campaigns to promote the value of the Tick.

ACCREDITATION PROCESS

Creative Skillset’s accreditation process is industry-led with Creative Skillset facilitating the process. At the heart of the process are the accreditation criteria which are listed in full in this document.

When can institutions apply for course accreditation?

The call for applications is open with no fixed deadline. Applications will be assessed as and when they are made.

Before Submission We recommend that you contact Creative Skillset for informal advice and guidance prior to submission of your application form and supporting documentation. The Development team is

also available for on-going advice on putting the application submission together:

developmenttick@creativeskillset.org. We emphasise conversation and dialogue as key components of the accreditation process.

Submitting the Application There are two parts to the application; the application form and accompanying supporting materials such as CVs, course handbooks, external examiner’s reports, etc. The application form should primarily act as a reference to your supporting materials.

Stage One Assessment: Desk Based Criteria Check The first stage of the accreditation process is desk-based, analysing paper and screen materials. Industry evaluators use the information provided in the application form and supporting materials to benchmark the course against the accreditation criteria and produce a stage one report.

Along with detailed feedback against the criteria the report makes a recommendation on whether to progress to stage two or not.

If a good proportion of the criteria are met, the application will progress to the second stage of the process, a visit to the department. Courses are provided with a summary of the stage one report which will highlight the areas in the criteria to be explored during the visit.

If a good proportion of the criteria are clearly not met, the application is halted and detailed stage one feedback report provided to the course.

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